How to Adapt Your Fedora Atomic Desktop to Fedora Linux 44: Key Changes & Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Fedora Linux 44 brings several changes to Fedora Atomic Desktop variants—Silverblue, Kinoite, Sway Atomic, Budgie Atomic, and COSMIC Atomic. While many updates happen seamlessly, some require your attention. This guide walks you through what you need to know and the steps to ensure a smooth transition. Whether you're an existing user or planning to upgrade, follow along to address the moved issue tracker, updated documentation, removal of FUSE version 2 libraries (affecting AppImages and Plasma Vaults), and the end of pkla Polkit rules.

How to Adapt Your Fedora Atomic Desktop to Fedora Linux 44: Key Changes & Step-by-Step Guide — Source: fedoramagazine.org

What You Need

A Fedora Atomic Desktop installation (version 44 or upgrading to it)
Administrative (sudo) access
Internet connection for downloading updates and packages
Familiarity with terminal commands (optional but helpful)
Backup of important data (especially if using Plasma Vaults with EncFS/CryFS)

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Update Your System to Fedora Linux 44

Ensure you are running Fedora Linux 44. If you haven't upgraded yet, do so via the standard update method for your Atomic Desktop:

Open a terminal.
Run rpm-ostree upgrade to fetch and apply the latest image.
Reboot to complete the upgrade: systemctl reboot.

Once booted, confirm your version with cat /etc/fedora-release.

Step 2: Familiarize Yourself with the New Issue Tracker Location

The cross-variant issue tracker has moved to the new Fedora forge. This is where you should report bugs affecting all Atomic Desktop variants. For desktop-specific issues (e.g., only GNOME on Silverblue), use the respective SIG trackers linked in the README of the atomic-desktops organization.

New forge URL: https://gitlab.com/fedora/atomic-desktops/issues
Why it matters: Filing in the right place ensures your issue gets attention and coordination across variants.

Step 3: Access the Unified Documentation (and Help with Translations)

The unified documentation for all Atomic Desktops is now live on the new forge. However, translations were not migrated. If you want to help:

Visit the new docs site: Fedora Atomic Desktops Documentation.
Check the tracking issue atomic-desktops#10 for translation status.
Sign up to translate using the Fedora translation platform once it's configured for the new forge.

Expect to copy/paste most content from the old docs—this time there will be a single source, not multiple variant-specific pages.

Step 4: Handle Removal of FUSE Version 2 Libraries

Fedora 44 removes FUSE2 libraries. This affects two main areas: AppImages and Plasma Vaults. Follow the substeps relevant to your use case.

4a. Check and Fix AppImages

Some AppImages use an old runtime that depends on FUSE2. To identify them:

Download or locate the AppImage file.
Run file <AppImage> to see the type. If it says ELF 64-bit LSB executable without FUSE, it likely uses an old runtime.
Test execution: ./<AppImage>. If it fails with a FUSE-related error, it's affected.

Recommended actions:

Search for a Flatpak version of the application (e.g., on Flathub). Install with flatpak install flathub <app-id>.
Report the issue to the AppImage developer, pointing them to the new AppImage runtime that doesn't require FUSE2. See the Fedora Discussion thread for examples on checking runtime.

If you absolutely need the AppImage, you can temporarily layer the FUSE2 library, but this is not recommended long-term:

sudo rpm-ostree install fuse2

After testing, remove it: sudo rpm-ostree uninstall fuse2 and reboot.

4b. Migrate Plasma Vaults from EncFS/CryFS to gocryptfs

KDE no longer recommends EncFS or CryFS backends due to FUSE2 dependency. If you use Plasma Vault with these backends, migrate your data before upgrading if possible. If already on Fedora 44:

Temporarily layer the old backend to access your vault:
```
sudo rpm-ostree install cryfs fuse-encfs
```
Restart Plasma or reboot.
Open Plasma Vault, unlock your encrypted vault, and copy its contents to a safe location (e.g., a temporary folder).
Lock and close the vault.
Remove the old vault from Vault settings.
Create a new vault using the gocryptfs backend (the only maintained one).
Move your data into the new vault.
Reset the layered packages:
```
sudo rpm-ostree reset
```
Then reboot.

Important: Do this migration as soon as possible to avoid data loss.

Step 5: Replace pkla Polkit Rules (If You Use Custom Ones)

Support for the legacy .pkla Polkit rules format has been removed. This affects only users who manually added policy rules. To check:

Look for files in /etc/polkit-1/localauthority/ or /var/lib/polkit-1/localauthority/ ending in .pkla.
If found, convert them to the modern JavaScript format (.rules). Example conversion:

// Old pkla example:
[Allow user to shutdown]
Identity=unix-user:username
Action=org.freedesktop.login1.power-off
ResultAny=yes

// New JavaScript format (e.g., /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/10-custom.rules):
polkit.addRule(function(action, subject) {
    if (action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.power-off" &&
        subject.user == "username") {
        return polkit.Result.YES;
    }
});

If you don't have custom rules, no action needed.

Tips for a Smooth Experience

Backup before migrating Plasma Vaults: Always keep a copy of important data before restructuring vaults.
Flatpak is your friend: Many AppImage-based applications have Flatpak counterparts. Using Flatpak ensures better integration and updates.
Stay informed: Follow the atomic-desktops issue tracker for further changes.
Test AppImages on a non-Atomic system first: If you have another machine, confirm that an AppImage works before relying on it.
Re-translate with care: If you help with documentation translations, note that the process will be simpler (single source) once set up.

Tags: